Research
Alec's current projects include projects from both his academic and volunteer work. They span topics like chronic pain epidemiology, comorbid factors related to elevated psychological distress, immigration policy analysis, and working with immigration activists to document the fragmented landscape of law enforcement policies on cooperating with DHS and ICE.
Using a sample from the 2019 National Health Interview Survey, this study analyzes the complex relationships between multidimensional chronic pain, depression, and anxiety. Using a novel pain intensity × frequency gradient across adult developmental stages, it used the PHQ-8 and GAD-7 to uncover new insights about individuals experiecing significant levels of distress. Critically, it establishes the presence of large groups at elevated risk that are likley missed by current clinical screening paradigms.
Across the various cities, townships, counties, and universities that make up Greater Cincinnati, over 50 law enforcement agencies maintain disparate views and policies on cooperating with federal authorities on immigration matters. This project pulled from a wide variety of police procedure documentations into one framework for structured analysis. This better allows local immigrants rights groups to get a better picture of where undocumented individuals are most at risk and allowing structured analysis for public policy advocacy.
Despite relying on the more limited data using the abbreviated PHQ-4 mental health screening captured most recently by the NHIS in 2023, this analysis nevertheless manages to expand on the 2019 NHIS manuscript. This study will document the potential cohort effects changing risk profiles in the youngest participants, while also proving that the elevated risk associated with less intense, but more frequent pain are not an artifact a greater trend of higher treatment utilization for psychological symptoms in America at large.